


Dark Days

by freestylesmile



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Character Turned Into Vampire, F/F, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-14 14:24:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2195121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freestylesmile/pseuds/freestylesmile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lightning is abruptly and painfully drawn into the world of the undead. While slowly coming to terms with her unwanted transformation, a centuries old werewolf who feels partially responsible helps her navigate the supernatural realm. As they struggle with their growing affection for one another, an old, forgotten enemy threatens to destroy them all, humans and paranormal alike.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And Cold Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: While I won't be going into the heavy, gory detail of it, there's blood and bodies being torn and all that jazz that werewolves and vampires tend to get up to.

Lightning settled a hand on her hip, a crossbow resting on her shoulder. "How's it look?"

The man kneeling beside the large wagon wheel dropped his shoulders and sighed, shaking his head grimly. "Not good. It'll take some time to fix." He raised his head to the sky, dark, ominous clouds in the distance. "An' I reckon time is the last thing we got."

They had tried to outpace the storm, which was moving with unnatural speed. Now the horse was lame, and the wagon broken. They'd been damned either way.

"Right," Lightning said, more to herself than the wagon's owner. She dropped the crossbow from her shoulder and placed the tip on the ground. With practiced hands, she pulled the string evenly into place.

The road between Nautilus and Bodhum was a long one. While the weather was hardly ever easy to predict, it never indicated anything like what was headed toward them. It was much too early in the season to even suspect a storm of that size. There was no telling how long they could be stuck in it. They still had some supplies, possibly enough to hold out for a week if they stretched it.

"I'll see if I can scare something up before it hits."

A young boy with a small afro poked his head out from the back of the wagon, his little hands gripping the side.

"Daddy, the horse is hurt."

"I know, Dajh. Stay in the wagon."

She only had a few hours at best. It was a long shot, but Sazh would be able to handle preparing a shelter for them out of the wagon, and even a small rabbit could make a world of difference in their survival.

While it wouldn't bother  _her_  to use the horse as food, and they would if it came to that - she'd gut it herself if she had to – the animal was like an old, trusted friend to Sazh, and he would only agree to it if it was so his son didn't starve. Sazh had hired Lightning to protect them, all of them, and she'd do whatever it took to achieve that. The horse was just, for obvious reasons, ranked at the bottom on her list of who to save first. And it's body heat could provide a substantial amount of warmth

With a bolt carefully loaded, Lightning pushed her scarf up around her nose and strode away from the wagon.

_It was only the middle of autumn, and yet it felt like late winter. To be_ this  _cold was nearly unheard of._

The first hour went by, and there was already a blanket of snow for Lightning's boots to crunch through. She realized then how quiet it had become. Not even the peep of a bird. The mere absence a warning in itself.

She needed to turn back.

At that moment, the rustling of bushes made her turn a split second before a doe burst into the opening, nearly knocking her over as it bolted past. Without thinking, Lightning set her sights on the direction it had come from. There was more than just fear she'd seen in the deer's eyes. Mindless terror had taken over it, its limbs flailing in a desperate, wild plight to escape, froth visible on its mouth, eyes wide and unseeing.

Wolves, perhaps? A large pack. She'd be able to get off one shot, and then she'd need to go for the sword and knife at her belt. And pray that her leather clothes and fur coat were thick enough to guard against the worst bites.

Nothing else emerged. But behind her, a thump was followed by a short, choked-off whine. Lightning whipped around, and the terror that once seized the deer now froze her in place.

She'd seen a werewolf only once in her life, when she was very young. Her mother had stepped between her and it just seconds before it would have torn her to pieces. Even though she could only remember the werewolf through the mind's eye of a child, the beast before her was beyond comparison.

If it stood tall instead of crouched over the deer's carcass as it was, she would probably not even reach its shoulders, which had to be over three times as wide as her own. Black was its fur, highlights of red visible against the snowy white backdrop, more snowflakes collecting on its body. Its massive frame was filled in with thick, packed muscle.

Lightning couldn't quite hold back the sound of a shaky breath leaving her, emerging as a small cloud from her scarf. The werewolf's eyes and pointed ears snapped up, shock quickly becoming apparent on its features as blood dripped off the flesh hanging from its mouth.

They stared in silence, though the pounding of Lightning's heart was deafening to her own ears. Out of pure reflex and instinct, her crossbow was aimed between the beast's eyes. But even with her marksmanship, it was too far to guarantee a hit. What little she knew about werewolves, she did know their speed was well and above that of a human. It had gotten in behind her so fast, so quiet. The deer killed in an instant.

But unlike the werewolf she remembered as a child and in her dreams, the eyes of the one before her held remarkable intelligence. And perhaps that was all that stayed Lightning's hands. It was easy to forget that a beast such as this one had a human side.

The stillness stretched long enough that she noted the blood trail behind the creature. She realized it was wounded, a deep gash across its chest, more along its limbs, and a particularly large chunk was missing from its shoulder. Dark crimson blood seeped down its fur onto the snow and deer. Its shoulders shifted from deep, ragged breathing.

It moved, slowly. Lightning twitched, but held her ground, waiting. Just its arm, reaching to the back of the deer.

The sight and sound of it ripping the deer's hindquarters off like it was paper was not something she cared to witness again anytime soon. Rising just enough for leverage, the werewolf tossed it to her, the legs and rump landing not far from Lightning's feet.

Lightning didn't move, not right away.

The werewolf tilted its head, eyes narrowing. Lightning could almost hear it say:  _You wanna do this the hard way?_

Keeping the crossbow held in one hand, eyes never leaving the werewolf, Lightning shifted closer and crouched to grab hold of one of the legs. It wasn't a big deer, but it wasn't a small one either. It was an effort to drag it through the thickening snow, but she refused to lower her weapon. Not until she was out of the beast's sight.

…

Her mind was as blank as the untouched snow hindering her progress back to the wagon. It was stiff and packed, crunching under her boots rather than giving way. She nearly dropped the deer's hindquarters in favor of running. But she would  _not_  give in to fear. For all that was holy, she could at least prove she was tougher than a deer.

When the wagon was in sight, she was able to shrug off a good portion of snow from her shoulders. A few moments longer and she wouldn't be able to see her hand if she held it in front of her.

If she hadn't been so shaken from her encounter with the werewolf, she might have noticed the signs that something was wrong. The heap of snow at the front of the wagon where the horse had lain down. A trail of blood nearly covered up by the snow. She'd missed all of these, and her mind took a moment to catch up when she spotted the two pale figures dressed like highwaymen lounging in the back of the wagon.

"There she is," one smiled lazily, straightening as though getting up from a pleasant nap. The smile turned to a grin, openly displaying the elongated incisors.

His companion chuckled, hands playing with a bloodied knife. His voice gravely and hoarse sounding. "The little boy was worried about you. We told him we'd wait and make sure you got back all safe like." He stuck his tongue out and dragged the flat of the blade against it. "Making us wait, though. I'm actually a bit hungry. Wouldn't hurt none to have a taste before we take her back."

"Just what I was thinking," the other agreed.

" _Where are they?_ " Finally her voice was back. The familiar even, steady sound of it grounding her.

"Oh, they're safe. You'll see'em soon enough. Right after we've had ourselves a little drink."

The closest one lunged, making to grab for her hair. Lightning lurched back, dropping her crossbow, and he continued after her, falling out from the wagon. Lightning's back hit the snow, heard the snap of strings as the crossbow fired off somewhere. The vampire fell on top of her, teeth snapping in her face. She grabbed at the collar of his shirt and drew her head back right before connecting with the vampire's nose. No blood emerged, but bone crunched and he reeled just enough for her to wedge her legs between them and kick him away. The second vampire roared and lunged. She rolled to the side, and in the same motion she used to lurch to her feet, she swept the knife from her belt and brought the handle to her lips.

" _Lightning_ ," she whispered.

A spark of light sizzled along the edge of the blade as it snapped from the handle. She struck just as it fully extended, slicing at the hand reaching for her. It seared a mark of white flame across the palm. The vampire screeched stumbling back with his hand clutched to his chest.

The blade continued to glow, illuminating the script along its edge.

_Invoke my name – I am Spark_

"What the-"

She lunged at the second vampire, managing a shallow cut in his side before he dodged away, creating some space. He swore violently, the slice causing obvious and intense pain.

Adrenaline surged within her, making her blood pound, and she welcomed the rush with open arms. It warmed her, holding the cold at bay. The fear of the werewolf was now a distant memory. Those beasts had the advantage of instilling that hated reaction long before she'd been able to fight it. These vermin, on the other hand...

The vampire holding his injured hand to his chest reached for his sword with his free one. "Well, well. This just got a little more interesting. What's that toy you got, missy?"

Lightning ignored the question, also drawing her sabre with her other hand. "Where did you take them?"

The vampire with the cut in his side wiped at his broken nose with a frustrated jerk of his arm. "How 'bout the more you keep askin' that,  _the more blood I take!_ " He rushed forward, preparing an overhead swing.

Lightning saw it easily. It was consistently to her advantage that most vampires were arrogant and overconfident, thinking themselves invincible. Especially against a "weak" human.

She sidestepped the heavy swing – not away, but  _closer_ , leveling the guard of her sabre with his face and crushing it against his already broken nose. As he fell away, she followed through with the momentum of her punch, spinning and bringing her knife out and across, slicing cleanly across his throat. Again, no blood was drawn, but the white fire and scream was just as satisfying.

Unable to block the second vampire's attack, she dropped and rolled across the snow, stopping in a crouch to face him, the hand with the sabre braced on the snowy ground, her knife raised to the side.

He paused, bared his teeth at her. "You've got some nice tricks, human. It's been a while since I've had to really fight for my food."

Lightning blew some hair out of her face. "It shows."

The vampire snarled and charged. Lightning surged forward, drawing her sabre arm back and then chucking it in a spinning arch at his head. As he raised his arms to block, she dropped onto her side, skidding across the snow and latching on to his pants and ankle, halting her momentum and causing him to greet the packed snow rather soundly.

She was already scrambling up his back, repeatedly shoving him down into the snow, stabbing him anywhere she could reach as she crawled forward. He was screaming, releasing his sword as he writhed from the unfamiliar pain of the knife, trying to get away. Instinctually he turned to fend off the attack. Lightning sliced at his arms and hands, smoke and fire billowing from the cuts and at last forcing an opening. With one hand cupped over the back of the handle, she plunged the knife into his chest.

When she withdrew it, white fire erupted from the wound. The vampire's body spasmed and twitched as his heart was burned to ashes in his chest. Lightning rolled away, focusing her attention on the last vampire, who'd only just recovered from the slice on his throat. It was blackened now, an ugly scar in place of where the fire had touch.

The vampire stared in shock and fear as his friend burned in front of him. Pure fury was in his eyes as he turned to Lightning.

"You-" he choked, his voice rasped from the injury in his throat. He clutched it with a hand.

"Enough!"

Both Lightning and the vampire's head whipped up. Circled around them were at least a dozen more people.

_Vampires_. They all stood with that stoic, statue-like pose as if time and tired muscles meant nothing to them. Lightning hadn't seen or heard any of them approach.

_Where had they come from? Why were so many here?_

The woman who had spoken stepped into the circle. Though shorter than Lightning, she held herself with absolute authority. She wore thin-framed glasses, and her blonde hair was incredibly long and thick, going well past her waist.

She approached the injured vampire.

"Mistress, I-"

"Quiet." The female vampire whipped out a baton-like weapon and smacked it on the other's shoulder, driving him to his knees. "You had a simple task. It seems my trust in your abilities to handle a  _human_  was misplaced." She looked up and nodded. Two burly vampire stepped forward and grabbed the protesting one on his knees.

There was no preamble before they started tearing him apart, limb from limb. And only afterward did one of them plunge his hand into the chest and extract the heart. Lightning felt sick, thinking of the deer.

"Burn it," The woman instructed. Then she turned to Lightning, took off her glasses, and looked her over. "Well then, it looks like we have some openings on our roster. And this one actually appears to have some backbone."

Lightning grit her teeth, tightening the hold on her knife. "Go to hell."

The vampire tilted her chin down, an almost coyish smile appearing.

Then she  _struck._  Lightning hadn't even blinked as a rush of cold air whipped past her. Her eyes widened, long strands of hair fluttering out of the corner of her eye just as pain lanced across her side.

A choked gasp came from her throat, a hand going to the gaping wound spraying blood below her ribs. She fell to her knees in the snow. Hands grabbed her arms just before she fully crumbled, forcing her back up.

Behind her, the vampire's baton cracked against her shoulder, sending the remaining air from her lungs. "Your resistance is amusing, human. But I'm not giving you a choice. You took one of mine, and now I need a replacement."

Her head was tilted to the side and teeth sunk into her neck. Lightning couldn't hold back a cry from the sharp, intensity of the pain. It was like poisoned needles were sinking in from the bite, furrowing in along her veins and spreading like a burning fire under her skin. Lightning clenched her teeth to hold back further sound, instead trying to wrench herself away. She surged against the arms holding her down, but it was useless. There was no way to budge any of the vampires, and she was forced to endure the bite for what felt like an eternity.

When she was released, she didn't realize it at first until she crumbled into the snow, the cold shock of it pressing against her sweaty face. She was nearly paralyzed, unable to do more than squirm and writhe on the ground,  _anything_  to get away from the agony festering in her neck.

Through blurry, tear-filled eyes she watched the female vampire bend to pick up her knife. She dropped it immediately, hissing as smoke formed on her fingers and the blade snapped back into its handle. She withdrew a piece of cloth and threw it on the ground, gesturing for one of her followers to come and use it to pick up the weapon. Then she moved toward the wagon.

Noticing something – the hindquarters of the deer – her eyes darting to her people. Amidst the pain, Lightning could just make out the snarl in her voice. "The other mutt is still in the forest.  _Find her_."

Whimpering, Lightning ended up curled into a ball in an attempt to drown out the sounds and movements around her, wishing only to steady and calm the waves of pain and nausea overtaking her body.

It was strange, then, to notice a white horse silhouetted in the distance amongst the falling snow. As Lightning twitched and shuddered, she tried to focus on that image, not caring if it was merely an illusion. She felt calmed by it, and a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye.

_Serah, I'm... sorry..._

Her vision blurred further and the pain receded, as did everything else.


	2. Don't Call Me Princess

Her eyes snapped open with absolute clarity. It was so sudden she didn't move. Every other waking moment had been vague glimpses of shuddering pain and clawing at stone surfaces. And bitter, bitter cold.

All there was now was the cold. And stillness. She realized she'd forgotten to breathe, but when she inhaled, the expansion of her lungs brought no relief.

Because it wasn't needed.

Not allowing herself to think on that, Lightning pushed to her feet. The effort was too easy, her muscles unstrained by the motion. She was neither groggy nor lightheaded, but she still felt the need to lean against a nearby wall.

_So cold..._

Reaching to her side, she felt around the area where the vampire had struck her, but there was no wound. Her neck... she chose not to check.

She was startled to hear the faint sounds of someone sniffling, and before she knew what she was doing she'd slammed herself against the iron gate on the far side of the room, tightly grasping the bars.

“Serah?” Her voice was raspy, as if it hadn't been used in a while.

“Already awake?”

The voice startled her, although the sensation of being startled felt strange as none of her muscles jumped in response.

A tall woman in dark clothing moved out of the shadows of the hallway and stood on the other side of the iron gate, hands on her hips. It was hard to make out her features as the torchlight left most of it in shadow, but the flickering orange flames hinted at red eyes and white, short-cut hair swept up in a messy style. Oddly enough, Lightning didn't have the sense that she was hostile.

“You're faster than most.”

“I get that a lot.” _Than most?_ Lightning stepped back and braced herself against the wall. There was still no pain but... she couldn't keep herself from hunching over and holding an arm around her torso. As if she was weak from... starvation. “Who's crying?” she asked, fighting to keep the urgency out of her voice.

“Oh,” the woman shrugged, though her eyes sharpened as she peered over her shoulder at a cell further down, “just a werewolf we picked up a bit before you. Don't let the sobbing fool you. She's a scrawny little thing as a human, but she's taken out quite a few of our kind.”

“Our...” _kind?_ Lightning dropped the question in favor of another. _It_ wasn't _Serah. That was all she needed to know_. “Where am I?”

“I'll leave that for the man to explain. He's been a bit on edge waiting for you. Sit tight. I'll bring him.” The woman walked away, revealing a large sword slung across her back, the shape of a skull near the hilt. She disappeared into the dark hallway.

The room Lightning was in was no better than a cave. There was no bed or bucket. No window. Not even any rats were scurrying about. Peering out through the gate, she could see the edges of other similar cell doors in the hall, but there was no way to tell which were occupied.

“Who's Serah?” The voice was faint and weak, although still maintaining a high, girly pitch with a bit of an accent.

Eyes adjusting more to the dark, Lightning spotted the source of the voice at the base of a nearby cell door, where a young woman sat on her ankles. She had fair skin and bright red hair. Her hands loosely wrapped around one of the bars, wrists bound together by a bright, shiny metal. Another band of the metal was wrapped around her thin neck like a heavy collar. Her skin was raw around the material.

_Silver_.

Tear streaks marked lines through the dirt and smudge on her face.

Lightning dropped the side of her head against the wall, looking down. “My sister.”

“Oh,” the girl said sadly, directing her eyes down too. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. “They said they got you right after me.” The apology went unspoken, as it was already weighing heavily in the air. Words would have rung hollow, anyway. _Sorry you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in our little vampire-werewolf squabble._

“I have a sister, too. They're probably still out looking for her.”

Lightning blinked, bits of her memory jogging back into place. The white snow falling on black, blood-stained fur. The hunger and intelligence of the wolfish eyes staring back at her. The peaceful offering of a fresh kill. Dragging it back to a vampire infested wagon...

Her head snapped up. She felt like kicking herself for forgetting. “There were two others with me. A man and his son, have you seen them?”

The girl's eyes widened, and she shook her head. She looked genuinely horrified. “They... they usually try to recruit people who are willing. Or they...” she swallowed audibly, voice shaking, “keep them around for cattle. I heard some of them talking about a new boy they were going to raise.” She looked up, appearing desperate. “How old was the son?”

“Six.” Lightning didn't need to ask what was meant by 'cattle'. There were enough horror stories for children to give her an idea.

Whatever bit of hope had been in the young woman's pleading eyes was extinguished. Two pairs of brisk footsteps resounded throughout the hall, and she gasped, disappearing back into her cell. Lightning watched somberly as the woman and an unfamiliar man approached.

The man also had white hair, though his features were a bit sharper than the woman's. His hands were clasped behind his back and he watched her with a stern expression.

“What's your name, newborn? If you can remember.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her chin up. “Yours first.”

The man paused for a second, and then dipped his chin, surprising Lightning with an answer. “Yaag Rosch, and this is Paine,” he added, gesturing behind him. Then his eyes tilting skyward, answering a question that had been asked, apparently, one too many times. “And no, we are not siblings.”

Lightning shifted against the wall, feeling herself lean a bit more heavily against it. Her eyes seemed to be adjusting to the darkness a bit more. “Lightning. Where are my companions?”

“That's not your concern right now.” Lightning felt herself ready to snarl. The male vampire hesitated, then added. “And, keeping human blood in this wing is not advisable for maintaining a semblance of peace.”

_They were alive_. She was surprised again by his willingness to offer such information. “Why are you telling me? Aren't I a prisoner?”

A flicker of irritation passed over his features, although it wasn't directed at her. “Our leader has become... a bit reckless recently. It's generally agreed upon by the non-feral vampires that humans are only to be changed if the human is willing. A changed human is one less source of blood, after all. But recently we've been losing a number of our clan to...” his eyes glanced to the side, and Lightning had the feeling he was thinking of the werewolf locked away not far from them, “outside forces. You're not the first to be in Jihl's way while she's been out. It's unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected.”

“Although you _are_ the first human to take out a member of her hunting party.” Paine added. “Personally, I didn't like Biggs, or his partner. Could never figure out why the Mistress picked them in the first place.” Her brow drew together. “Still, I'm curious about how you managed to kill one of them. Did you-”

“That's enough,” Rosch said, waving a hand. He changed the topic swiftly. “Now, tell me how you're feeling.”

Lightning's eyes swept between the two, but it appeared she wouldn't be getting any more information. Then she looked Rosch over a little more, noting his military-style outfit. His command was given without an ounce of sympathy, but it still sounded odd coming from him. “You don't look like a doctor.”

He shook his head this time. “I just need to gauge your mental stability. Outward appearances suggest you're fine, but some newborns wake up with a... bad temper, so to speak.”

The woman standing a pace behind him appeared amused. “Doctors don't treat the dead, anyway.”

Lightning opened her mouth, then closed it. She could see in Rosch's eyes how he seemed to know exactly what was going through her mind. It was Paine that spoke, however.

“You're a vampire, Lightning. Just like us. You took to the transformation pretty well, compared to most. Haven't you checked your teeth yet? It's sort of the first thing most people do.”

She hadn't wanted to. She still didn't. But even then she could feel the lengthened incisors pressing against the inside of her lip.

“You won't feel the thirst for at least a week or more,” Rosch explained, “since you still have some of your own blood in you. You'll be a bit stronger because of it, too.”

“Why am I feeling so weak, then?”

“Think of it as mental fatigue. Your physical form will remain mostly free from fatigue as long as you have blood. But your mind is still susceptible to exhaustion, and the transformation from human to undead is... taxing, to put it lightly. Each individual seems to come out of it a little differently. Is there anything else you're feeling?”

Lightning shook her head, looking away. _Just cold._

“Then it seems we can get started.” He turned suddenly and began to walk away, throwing a ring-full of keys at Paine. “Bring her to the disposal.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, offering a lazy salute.

Lightning took a step away from the door. “The disposal?”

“It sounds worse than it is. Well, maybe not. You'll find out soon enough. Almost every member of PSICOM has had to go through it.” Paine grabbed her by the arm, and she tried to shrug it off. “Hey, hey. I wouldn't do that. You'll wanna save that fighting spirit for later. Besides, even if you did manage to get away from me, you'd have a lot more of us to go through before you could even find the exit.”

“What if I don't want to join?”

“If you're not with us, you're against us. And then you're disposed of.”

Lightning didn't get to see much more of the place except more stone passageways that broke off here and there. She rapidly lost her sense of where they'd come from.

…

She was thrown in another cell, completely dark, but by now her vampire eyes had adjusted fully. And she wasn't alone.

“You must be the one we've all been waiting for,” said a young-looking man seated on the floor on the other side of the room. He had piercings all over his nose, ears and lips. “I almost turned feral just sitting on my arse over here.”

“Shut up, Carl, no one's making you do shit. It was your decision to go through with this.” A woman pushed off from the wall, glaring at the man as she strode closer to Lightning. Her black hair was cropped to her chin with a red highlight streaked through a portion on the right side. Same as the man, she had numerous piercings around her face, including two in one eyebrow. She was also chewing gum.

Carl sneered. “It was either this or live off rats in the sewers and hide like shit in tall grass. I didn't hear you complaining before.”

“Whatever.” The woman waved her hand in dismissal and finally rounded on Lightning, agitation flickering in all of her movements. She gave Lightning a hard once over and scoffed, throwing her hands up. “Great, all this time and the only thing we get is a fucking princess. _Fucking_ great.”

Lightning's eyes narrowed, but she let the slight pass. “Wait for what?”

The woman's eyes widened. “They didn't tell you? You even know why you're here, princess?”

Carl groaned, dropping his head back against the wall. “We're so fucked.”

“Shit.” The woman wiped her hands jerkily over her face. She spoke as if she was trying to rein in evaporating patience. “Alright, so the way this goes. They pit a group of us against a group of humans, and the winners get to join PSICOM. Either as cattle or new vampires or whatever. Basically, you're not the one that gets to die. And it's just a big fucking show for everyone who gets to watch.”

Lightning tilted her head slightly, listening carefully. “So it's just us against hu-...” Lightning stopped herself. _Humans_. The side she wasn't on anymore.

The woman rolled her gum to one cheek. “You're still new to this, aren't you? Shit. Well, at least that means you've still got some of your own blood. That'll help. You're not gonna go crazy like this asshole once the humans get released,” she said, jerking her chin over a shoulder. “Hasn't had a drink in over two weeks.”

“You haven't either,” the man accused gruffly.

“Yeah well, I got better self-control maybe.” She was nearly bouncing on her feet, gnawing fiercely on her gum. Lightning took a better look at them and realized they were twins.

“If it's just humans,” Lightning tried again, ignoring the odd feeling that came from using the word, “then why-”

“ _Because_ ,” the woman interrupted, taking a few steps closer. Her eyes were wide and just a bit insane. Lightning stood her ground. “Not only are the humans armed with all kinds of weapons and tools and shit designed to rip out our hearts, they're adding a _fucking troll_ to the mix.” The last of her words came out in a higher pitch, as if there was some great irony to all of this.

“And not _just_ a troll,” the man said, hopping to his feet, his sarcasm and dark humor catching on with his twin's. He smiled, his fangs mirrored by black, rotting teeth. “Some assholes thought they'd have fun trying to change it into a vampire. But now, it's just some messed up walking undead shit. Can't let a thing like that wander around unchecked, so they throw it at fools like us for _fun_.”

“In other words,” the woman added, “those of us they didn't want joining in the first place.”

There was a faint rumbling, and the door opposite the one Lightning had entered began to slowly slide up. She could hear the sounds of a crowd cheering and shouting.

“Looks like it's starting,” the woman hissed. “Don't know about you, princess, but I'm at least gonna have some blood before I'm gone.”

The twins scrambled out under the door as it was still being raised.

_So much for working together._

In less of a hurry, Lightning ducked under the door, and found herself in the bottom of a large, circular pit. The ground was covered with packed sand. Bones littered the floor, more had been pushed to the sides. At the top, outer ring of the pit held the audience. Most of them were leaning against a waist-high railing, watching with a mix of reactions ranging from excitement to boredom, although the general dark stillness of the atmosphere was enough to suggest they weren't human.

The female twin was the first to launch herself at the humans scurrying out of their own door. She managed to tackle one, but was kicked off by a large man before being able to go to the throat. Carl jumped on the man's back, delivering a vicious bite to his neck before being thrown off.

There was a third door still opening, albeit even slower than the others. Before Lightning could get too concerned about the size of the toes visible beneath it, something flew past her head.

“Come on, welp! Quit standing around, I'm bored already!”

A small growl rumbled in her throat; her temper was coming back. _Good_. Before any of them could figure out what she was doing, she picked up a human skull near her feet and launched it up at him.

He was still leaning casually against the railing, the backlash completely unexpected. Her aim was perfect; the skull connected squarely against his face and exploded into dozens of pieces. He yelled and fell away from the fence while the other startled vampires started guffawing at his expense.

“Having a good time, now?” Lightning said under her breath.

“Hey, I like you!” one vampire with wearing purple robes shouted to Lightning, sounding friendly. She had blonde hair and a dominating presence among the others. “Hope you win, you'd make a good sister.”

Uninterested in their approval, Lightning was already turning her attention back to the arena, to the vicious snarls and shouts emerging from the human's side. She was just analyzing her next move when the sound of her name would have made her heart stop if it hadn't already.

“Lightning!”

It was Sazh. He was breathing heavily, a crowbar held by both hands. Blood was splattered across his shirt and sleeves. He had some bruises and cuts on his face – it looked like the results of torture. He was watching her warily, uncertain.

The ground rumbled, forcing them to break eye contact, and a roar came from the troll's cage. Its hand emerged under the slow moving door and shoved it up. The audience cheered, rattling and pounding their fists on the railing.

The monster that stepped from the darkened cage was revolting. Standing close to ten feet tall, its skin had paled to a sickly gray. Its trollish features were apparent on its face: a large bumpy nose, a prominent jaw, jutting tusks. Blood shot eyes appeared slightly cloudy as if the creature was nearly blind. There was an open wound in its lower chest cavity where intestines and other tissues were missing. Its unmoving heart could just barely be seen behind its exposed ribs; someone with the right idea, but they'd obviously been unable to finish the job. Other scars and claw-like marks littered its body, a gruesome telling of the combatants it had been set loose upon.

Seeing the humans and vampires staring at it in stunned terror, it snorted something that sounded like ' _blood_ ' and shambled toward them.

Sazh swore, gripping the crowbar tightly. “Maybe we should run.”

Lightning held out a hand to him, not taking her eyes off the troll. “Hand me that crowbar.”

“And _what_ the hell am I supposed to use?

She looked at him then. “Do you want to fight it?”

Sazh pursed his lips, shaking his head for a moment before tossing the crowbar at her. She caught it one-handed and swept it down at her side.

_Right_.

The troll picked up its strides and charged their group. Everyone scattered, but its long arms still managed to pick up a human woman, who dropped her small dagger and started screaming, struggling to get out of its hold.

Lightning dashed to the wall at an angle. Two, three, four steps up the side and she launched herself into the air, somersaulting once to bring the crowbar down with enough force to sink the hooked end into the troll's back.

The troll didn't react at all, as if pain and feeling had long since abandoned its awareness. Adjusting her grip higher, Lightning wrenched the crowbar free and jumped further up its hulking back, using the hook as a climbing aid. She reached its shoulder just as the troll was bringing the woman to its mouth. Without hesitation, Lightning braced herself on knee and foot and swung the crowbar with all her strength straight into its eye. She ripped the organ out with one pull.

The troll jerked its head away, dropping the woman with a confused grunt. Lightning jumped to its other shoulder, hooking into it with the crowbar as the troll's hand feebly searched the area where she'd just been. With its head turned away, Lightning perched herself on its shoulder and swung the crowbar down and into its chest.

Strike after strike she tore its remaining flesh and muscle away, adjusting her balance and dodging the troll's hands as needed. Her own muscles never tired, her body keeping up with her single-minded purpose of getting at the heart.

Then the troll's milky white eye rolled to her. With surprising speed and flexibility, he twisted his head around to bite at her. Lightning lurched back, losing her balance and pitching over and off its shoulder. Before she even hit the ground, its hand swept around and caught her by the leg.

Hanging upside down, the troll brought her closer as if to sniff. Lightning swung at him with the crowbar, narrowly missing his eye and instead scraping skin off his cheek. Irritated, the troll held her away from him, and then she was promptly smashed against the floor. She only barely grunted before she was next flung through the air and her body slammed into the wall.

She crumbled to the ground. There was a dull sense of an ache, but nothing as severe as she would have expected. It was more that her head had been jostled and her sight momentarily blurred. She grit her teeth and pushed herself from the floor. She didn't have to catch her breath because she had no need of it.

The troll was stomping toward her, ignoring all others. Lightning looked around for the crowbar, but she'd let go of it at some point. She dodged a heavy fist that came slamming down toward her. She rolled under the next swing, its aim as terrible as its sight. Coming up onto her feet, she jumped onto its upper arm as he was leaning down and into the attack.

He looked around in confusion before spotting her, and waved the arm around. She clung hard to it, refusing to budge. Roaring, the troll set its feet and charged into the wall, leading with its shoulder. She heard cracking, unsure if it was her bones or the stone. When he pulled back and prepared another charge, she let go of the arm just before he connected solidly with the wall.

Inside his guard, she leaped to his chest and wrapped her hands around a rib. The heart was too large and too out of reach to get her hands on it just yet. She braced her feet against parts of his remaining muscle and pulled with every fiber of her being. It cracked and started splintering. The troll's hand grabbed her and she wrapped her arms around the rib. When he wrenched her off, the rib came off with her.

Again she was thrown to the wall, the rib clattering next to her and falling with her into the sand.

Again she stood, watching the troll charge.

“Hey! Sister!”

She looked up, seeing the purple-robed vampire holding up a torch, which she chucked down in front of her. Lightning lurched for it. Her right arm wasn't working anymore so she picked it up with her left. With her momentum she dove under the troll's double-fisted swing, rumbling the earth, but she thrust herself up on her legs and plunged the torch up into his chest. The heart was dry, and it caught fire with ease.

The troll roared, throwing its head and body back as the whole of its chest burst into flame. It flailed, swinging its arms in a frenzy until it fell to its knees, legs failing it, and finally crumbling fully into the sand. Its body sagged, giving out at last.

Its face relaxed with true death into what looked, perhaps, a bit like relief.

“ _Lightning!_ A little help here!”

The panicked cry came from Sazh. The female vampire had him pinned to the ground, mashing her teeth in his face. He had the crowbar set between them, using it to keep her at bay.

Lightning was already moving. She reeled back with the torch and smashed it across the vampire's face with a _thunk,_ causing her to lurch back and off of Sazh.

The vampire rolled to her feet, a hand over her slightly burnt face as she hissed, “On the wrong side, _princess_?” There was blood streaked across her face, dripping from her fangs. Then she received a face-full of iron as Sazh pinged her with the crowbar.

Before it could react, Lightning launched herself forward, tackling her to the sand.

“Hold her down!” Sazh shouted, lining up with the crowbar. Lightning moved aside just as he brought it down into the vampire's chest. It was gruesome work, made more difficult by Lightning's lame arm, and the vampire didn't give up fighting even after she had an open hole to her heart.

“Don't call me princess,” Lightning growled before using her good arm to thrust the torch into her gaping chest. The vampire screeched and writhed for nearly a whole minute before finally going still.

The crowbar dropped from Sazh's grip, and he hunched forward with hands on his knees, drawing in ragged breaths.

Lightning stood slowly from the vampire's body, eyes scanning. The male vampire lay some distance away with his chest torn open. The other humans were either dead or dying.

And the arena had gone unnaturally still. Except someone was... clapping? Lightning looked up toward the audience, the vampires all silent and either looking at her or...

Lightning turned fully to face her, feeling an almost instinctual need to bare her teeth. The one who'd changed her. The one _they_ all called Mistress. The one Rosch called Jihl.

And she was slowly, deliberately, bringing her hands together. When she stopped, her palms pressed together, fingers pointed up. She wore a pleased smile. Much too pleased. And Lightning was the focus of her attention.

“You've done well, newborn. I must say, even I am impressed.”

Lightning remained silent, her sight never wavering from the alpha vampire.

“However,” Jihl said, turning her hands down and directing the fingers at Sazh. “It looks as though there is still one more left. If you could take care of him, then-”

“No.”

A rumble of voices circled through the audience. “Hm. Disobedience. You may be good, newborn, but that is one thing I will not tolerate.” Her eyes flicked to Sazh. “If you would do the honors, then, human. As a reward, I will let you and your son go free.”

Lightning immediately tossed the torch to Sazh. It landed at his feet. “Do it.”

Sazh's dark eyes were hard, completely vacant of his usual carefree attitude. “No.”

“Then I'll do it myself.” Lightning walked deliberately toward the torch.

“I don't think so.” Sazh shook his head, taking a small step toward the torch as if to block her from it. He wiggled his fingers. The gesture was subtle and mostly hidden by his long jacket. Curiously, the torch flame slowly diminished before going out.

“This is cute, really, but I don't have time for it. Either one of you kills the other, or I'll make things more difficult for both of you.”

In an instant, Lightning was furious. _Didn't he want to save Dajh?_ She spun toward Jihl. “Why don't you come down here and _do_ something? Or are you just talk?”

This time the wave of voices was much louder. Vampires were looking at each other, at Lightning and Jihl.

“Wha-” Sazh scrambled over to her, trying to pull her back “No-no-no, she doesn't mean that.” He attempted a forced laugh. “Really, she's just kinda crazy sometimes.” Lightning shoved him away.

Jihl took her glasses off and held them out to the side for someone to take. Rosch.

Her eyes had changed. While they still held the faint signs of amusement, a flare of intense malice flickered through them. She placed a single hand on the railing and gracefully tossed her legs over it, landing in the pit in an easy crouch. Four other vampires dropped with her, keeping to the sides like shadows.

She pulled the baton from her belt and sliced it through the air. “You're new to our world, so I'll make this lesson one you won't forget.”

She was so fast. One second she was striding toward Lightning, and the next she blurred to appear in front of her. Unable to react quick enough, the baton struck Lightning across the face with a snap. Electricity sizzled from the rod and coursed through her, sapping her of strength.

“Don't.” Another strike against the back of her head, sending her to the floor and gasping as real pain raked through her nerves. “Ever.” Again. “Challenge.” And again. “ _Me._ ”

Several more strikes left Lightning quivering in the sand, electric sparks flickering across her. After watching her for a short time, Jihl looked up through her lashes at Sazh, who was standing a fair distance back. He showed an obvious desire of wanting to help, but knew, also, that it would get him killed.

Jihl made a small _hmph_ of satisfaction and turned on her heel, striding toward one of the opening doors. “She still has some of her human blood. Take what's left of it.”

The four shadows descended on Lightning. Teeth sank into her neck, shoulder, and arms.

And darkness soon followed.

…

She woke in _pain_. Everything was a mesh of burning agony that she couldn't pinpoint to any one spot. As if everything she'd endured in the arena was unleashed on her all at once. She choked, pushing herself to an elbow in a feeble attempt to steady herself.

“'bout time you came around. Was thinking I'd end up having to carry you out over my shoulder.”

Lightning blinked, squinting up. “Sazh?” Another cell. Lightning was already sick of them. Sazh was crouched down in the opposite corner, watching her carefully. “They put us together?”

“Mhm. They think if neither of us can make up our minds about killing each other, then you'll just turn feral anyway and make the decision by itself.”

Lightning's whole body was quivering. She was so _hungry_.

“The thing is, even if you drank my blood, it would only paralyze you.”

“Tch. I don't think now is... is the time for jokes, Sazh.” She could _smell_ it. The blood that was only a few steps away. She dragged her nails along the floor, anything to get her to focus on something else.

“Hah! Everyone thinks I'm just full o' jokes. It's no wonder they haven't figured out who the hell I am.”

Setting her jaw firmly, Lightning turned shaky eyes to Sazh. “And just... who the... hell are you?” She tried to put some sarcasm into it, but she was jerking a little too much, and her voice was too raspy.

“ _Hmph_.” Sazh stood, pushing off from his knees, which cracked loudly. “Dammit I'm too old for this,” he grumbled, more to himself. Then he turned to the iron gate. He flicked both hands out to the side and fire burst around them, traveling up his arms and stopping just below his elbows. Lightning watched, stunned, as Sazh placed his hands on the gate and the whole thing caught fire. In seconds it started to melt, and he was able to pull it away from its hinges.

He set the mangled gate aside and turned back to Lightning. His eyes were somber. “Look, I'm sorry I haven't been able to do anything until now. Not without Dajh getting hurt. But their security has really taken a dive in the last couple days. Not sure why, but if we're gonna go, now is the time.”

Lightning was trying to push herself to her knees while Sazh spoke.

“The only thing I'm worried about is... Well, I'm not letting you near Dajh if you're gonna go feral on me. And my blood can't help you, so-”

“I can help with that.”

They both looked out into the hall. Curled up at the the base of one of the cell doors was the young woman with bright red hair Lightning had spoken to earlier. She still had the silver bindings on, but she smiled cheerfully at them nonetheless.


	3. Escape the Dark

“Um...” The werewolf who called herself Vanille bit her lip, appearing nervous. Perhaps from the way Lightning was staring at her with distaste. She still offered her wrist, but Lightning grunted and turned her face into the stone floor.

“Somehow I knew you were gonna be stubborn about this.” Sazh strode over, leaving the burned remains of Vanille's silver shackles, and crouched behind Lightning. “Come on, I'll make sure you don't take too much,” he said as he helped lift her up. “I know it's hard, but it's what you gotta do to survive now.”

 _What if I don't_ want _to survive_ , was what she thought to say. But they were waiting on her, and they needed to get to Dajh as soon as possible. Plus, her odds of really _dying_ in this place were slim. She didn't suspect Jihl would grant that mercy very easily.

Vanille held her arm up to Lightning's lips. Lightning gave her a searching look for a moment, noticing how the raw skin where the silver had touched was beginning to heal and smooth over. Vanille smiled and gave her a nod, and Lightning sank her teeth into the thin wrist.

The skin gave even more easily than she would have expected, and the blood flowed into her mouth instantly, spilling over her gums and draining down her throat without any effort on her part. And it was so, so _exquisite_ that Lightning wanted to pull away from it, but her feeble struggling was held down by Sazh.

By the time her body had stopped shivering, her eyes were sealed shut. Sazh finally relaxed his hold, and she tore her mouth away, resisting an instinctual urge to run her tongue across the wound. Perhaps to close it, but the werewolf would heal it on her own easily enough.

She could use her right arm again, and she flexed the hand in front of her, turning it this way and that.

Sazh let out a sigh. “Alright. Time to go and get Dajh. Then we can get out of this place.”

Her head was already clearing, and while she wanted nothing more than to lie on the floor until she rotted away, Vanille was giving her such a look of pity that she forced herself to her feet and brushed past her. _Get Dajh. Get out_. She would think about the rest later. “Do you know where he is?”

Sazh took one of the few torches from the wall and led the way. “They're keeping him with the humans they use as 'cattle'. It's actually a nicer place than you'd think. Healthy blood tastes better, and all that. And humans aren't healthy if you're just throwing a slice of bread at them once a week. I was there up until that whole disposal business.”

They traversed the corridors as swiftly and as quietly as possible. Sazh was right about the security, Lightning noticed as they rounded another corner. They hadn't run into a single guard. As they went along, Lightning sensed Vanille's presence was always a step behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she asked, “Are you able to change?”

Vanille shook her head, smiling. “Not for a little while. I've been wearing that silver for some time. It's going to take a bit to fully recover.”

“Quiet,” Sazh said sternly. They were approaching a closed door, and voices could be heard on the other side.

“-ook, Leblanc, I can't just let you through. I agree it wasn't fair what the Mistress did, but what's done is done.”

“And _I_ am going to undo it. Seriously, Paine, show some backbone for once. It's not like the Mistress has treated _you_ fairly either.”

There was a low growl-

“ _Ahh_ - _CHOO!_ ”

Sazh and Lightning jerked around, staring at Vanille in abject horror. She rubbed at her nose, offering a weak apology, “Sorry.”

The door flung open. Paine stood in the doorway with her sword drawn even as her eyes widened with surprise.

“How did you- _er_ ”

Lightning darted forward, dropping low and striking up with a kick that knocked the sword from Paine's hands. She swept up, aiming a hook to Paine's jaw, but the red-eyed vampire caught it with both hands. In the same breath, Lightning snatched the sword as it clattered off the wall and feigned a strike with the hilt, causing Paine's eyes turned for the briefest of seconds that allowed Lightning to snap her elbow back and then ram her fist into its previous target. As Paine stumbled, Lightning flipped the sword around and locked it at her back while delivering a spinning hook kick that sent the vampire crashing into the wall.

Lightning hefted the sword back around and struck so that the hilt scraped against the stone wall while the length of the blade was angled over the woman's throat. Paine had her gloved hands braced along the edge, mirroring one of Lightning's.

She growled through bared teeth, “Can't kill me without going for my heart.”

“I'm fine with severing your head first,” Lightning told her blankly.

The vampire called Leblanc – who turned out to be the woman that had thrown Lightning the torch in the arena – started laughing, waving a fan. Two vampires flanked her, one short and heavy-set, the other tall and lanky, both looking dumbly pleased.

Their little celebration was cut short as Sazh marched forward with fire billowing from one of his hands, torch held high in the other. “Alright, who wants some?”

“Oh, dear.” Leblanc's eyes were wide and wary now, and she took a few noticeable steps back along with her followers. “A fire spirit.”

“Yeah, and this spirit is gonna start lighting people up if they don't step aside.”

Leblanc spoke hastily, “ _Wait_. I can give you information,”

Sazh kept his hand raised. “The only information I want is how to get to my son, and how to get out of here.”

“I can give you more than _that,_ ” Leblanc smiled, assuming her previous air of carefree arrogance. “There is a pack of werewolves attacking. One of the strongest.”

“Fang,” Vanille whispered softly behind Lightning, who hadn't taken her eyes of Paine during the entire exchange. Likewise could be said of the other vampire.

“And I think we can all guess what they're here for.” Leblanc shifted her gaze to Vanille. “The Mistress has most of her people out fending them off, but the sun is near to rising and I, for one, don't want a bunch of dogs holing us up on our own home.”

“Get to the point,” Sazh said sharply.

Leblanc raised her hands, as if offering a gift that should have already been unwrapped. “I'm going to help you. I can clear a path to the exit-”

“Jihl is going to torture you for more than a century,” Paine bit out, struggling. But Lightning was immovable. “And she'll torture me, too, if I just let them go.” Lightning raised a brow. Paine just glared at her.

“I know you're not happy with the Mistress either, Paine. She's always sticking you down here on guard duty when we all know you're at least somewhat capable of more. And, really, it's tragic and all about what happened to your friends-”

“Shut up!” Paine growled and struggled some more. But her fight gave out quickly, and she bit out a curse. “As much as I dislike you, Leblanc... I hate Jihl more.” Then she rolled her eyes. “And since you're all out of your cells anyway, I won't be welcomed here for much longer.

Leblanc snapped her fan closed, offering a winning smile. “Excellent.”

“Wait.” Lightning finally took her eyes off Paine, if only because she'd stop pushing back. She looked at Leblanc. “What do you get out of this?”

Leblanc's smile never changed, even brightening some more. “I knew I liked you, Sister. You're a smart one. What I want is Jihl gone, and me in her place. She's been running this PSICOM group for a very long time, but myself and others think it's time for a change. This attack from the werewolves is going to weaken her significantly, and give me time to lay out a few of my other plans. The reason I'm helping all of you escape, is because of _you_. I want you to join me.” Before Lightning could speak, Leblanc cut her off, waving her hands flippantly.

“Oh not now, of course. You've got things to do. But you're a strong one, and I'd like you on my side once you've had time to... settle down. A clanless vampire doesn't make it far in our world. You'll learn that soon enough, if you haven't already. Not only will you have a place in my clan, we will also share a... common enemy.”

Lightning didn't know what to say. The last thing she wanted was to be indebted to someone just as she was escaping.

“Think it over,” Leblanc said easily. “I'll help you either way.”

“If we're all done here,” Sazh broke the tense silence, speaking slowly but forcefully. “We need to get moving.”

Leblanc nodded. “Right. I will go first and clear the way as much as I can without drawing suspicion. Why don't you escort them to the boy's room, Paine. If you move fast enough, you might be able to get out before the sun comes up.” Leblanc twirled around and took to the stairs beyond the room, followed closely by her henchmen.

Lightning lowered the sword and jerked her head. “Let's go.”

Paine sighed. The breath, Lightning had learned, came more from habit than anything else. “Can I have my sword back?”

“No. Not until we get out, at least.”

“Fine.” Paine pushed away from the wall, disinterested in furthering the conversation.

Paine was quiet as she led them up the narrow stairs and into a much wider hallway. Lightning noted that every window was boarded up.

Whatever Leblanc and her people were doing, it was effective. They didn't encounter a single vampire until they were near their destination.

“It's just around this corner-” Paine was starting to say.

“Paine? What's going on? Leblanc said they needed more help at the front.”

They all turned. A pair of vampires watched them warily.

“Kill them,” Paine stated. Everyone looked at her to check who she was referring to. She rolled her eyes and gestured hard at the other vampires.

Lightning dashed forward, but not before Sazh blew a puff of air on the torch and a large flame shot forth and engulfed the pair. They yelled frantically as their clothes and bodies ignited, and Lightning was quick to finish them off with Paine's sword.

She turned sharply around and strode back to the group. “That would have helped a lot with the troll.”

“If they knew about me, they would've used Dajh to manipulate me,” Sazh said, shaking his head.

Lightning's lips thinned, but he was right, of course. “Yeah, I know. Let's hurry.”

Paine opened the door for them. They stepped into a small entryway that led to a short hall with five doors mirroring each other on either side.

Sazh hurried ahead, but the scent of warm, fresh blood invaded Lightning's senses. She took several steps back, her vision tinged with the smallest hue of red. A hand gripped her shoulder, steadying and grounding her.

“Easy,” Paine said. “Just keep your mind focused on something else.”

Vanille was at her elbow, fidgeting with her hands. “I can give you more blood if you need.”

Lightning shook her head. “No. You're still healing. I'll be fine.”

Amidst the talk that was stirring up, doors were opening, humans warily coming out into the hall. Sazh's cry of relief could be heard from one of the rooms. There looked to be at least a dozen people or more. And striding toward Lightning was nearly the last person she thought she'd find in this place.

“Ashe?”

“Lightning. What are you doing here?” Before Lightning could say more, the shorter, blonde-haired woman walked confidently up to her and seized her in a hug. Lightning froze, wanting to return the knight's hold, but the smell of her blood was nearly overwhelming. She was so close...

“I never thought I'd find you in a place like this. You... ” Ashe took a small step back, the happiness in her voice short-lived as her hands leaped to Lightning's face. “You're so cold. What...” Lightning tried to turn her head away, but a small gasp told her she was too late. Ashe's thumbs raised her upper lip just enough to see, and horror etched her face. “By the gods, what have they done to you?”

Unable to look at her, Lightning gently took her hands and pulled them away from her face.

“Who was it?” Ashe demanded, fury shaking her voice. “Who changed you?”

When Lightning remained silent, Paine filled in. “It was Jihl.” Lightning shot her a warning look, but she just shrugged. “Oh. Some people don't see her before she gets them, but I guess you weren't one of those. You're just full of bad luck.” She left them, walking further down the hallway in the direction of Sazh.

“That monster. She's the reason for all of this.”

 _Monster_. A few second ago, Lightning had been the one thinking about taking her blood. “How long have you been here?” Lightning asked, trying to do as Paine advised and focus on something else.

“Only a few days,” said a tall, blond man walking up behind Ashe. He moved to Ashe's side and offered his hand.

“Basch,” Lightning acknowledged, grasping his forearm in greeting.

“Lightning,” he said respectfully. “While the circumstances haven't been in your favor, I'm glad you're here with us. We'll need the help if we're going to get these people out of here.”

“We were out with a search party after the storm hit,” Ashe filled in, “looking for people who needed help. The area turned out to be infested with vampires.”

Lightning nodded. “We were caught in it on our way to Bodhum.”

“Alright people, we need to get moving!” Sazh was coming back to them, Dajh sitting on his shoulders and appearing as happy as if he'd just had a birthday party.

“We need to go to the armory, first,” Basch said. “We won't be able to protect everyone if we're all defenseless. Even more so once we're out of here.”

“I can take you there,” Paine offered.

When Sazh got closer to Lightning, Dajh spotted her, and his eyes brightened. “Lightn'ng,” he cheered, reaching a small hand toward her.

For once in what felt like a very long time, Lightning smiled, even if it was only a little; her own muscles didn't seem to want to work much further than that. She offered a hand out to him, letting him grab her finger. “You're cold. Here!” He started rubbing his hands back and forth over her finger. Sparks and flames started emerging.

Even Sazh looked surprised as he reached up and covered his son's hands along with Lightning's finger, and she felt the small amount of heat diminish. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Sazh forced a chuckle, and self-consciously cleared his throat as he brought Dajh's hands down. “Just like his old man.” he said, smiling up at Dajh, although it was more through gritted teeth. Dajh giggled.

There was a sudden, booming rumble that shook the foundation around them, making several people crouch to steady themselves as dust and debris stirred.

Ashe's hand went to her belt, searching for a sword that wasn't there. “What was that?”

Sazh grunted, taking Dajh off his shoulders and instead carrying him at his side. “The signal for us to go, more than likely. Let's get moving, people.”

Sazh and Basch took up the rear behind the other humans. Paine led the way, with Vanille and Lightning behind and Ashe falling in beside.

Lightning heard Vanille sniff, and then gasp. “They're here. My pack is here.”

They hadn't made it through a single corridor before the sound of snarling and barking could be heard, and shortly after, chunks of bodies flew into the hall ahead of them.

They came charging around the corner, two massive werewolves only slightly less as big as the troll Lightning had fought. Small amounts of blood streaked across their black coats and around their muzzles; one of them had a leg in its mouth that it threw aside as it ran. They nearly slipped and bowled into each other they were going so fast, but their sharp claws dug into the stone with ease.

“Fang!” Vanille ran out to them just as everyone stopped. The two werewolves screeched to a halt before one of them sprang forward and nearly landed on top of Vanille. She ran straight into the werewolf's chest, and the beast tucked its head down while wrapping an arm around her, covering her almost completely with its body. Its tail thumped on the floor as it gave several, sharp whines.

The second werewolf moved around them, its dark eyes on their group as it stepped protectively in front of the reunited pair. A bit closer now, Lightning noticed its fur had a purplish hue, and, curiously enough, it wore a purple, beaded headband about its ears that was adorned with feathers.

Its lip lifted in a snarl.

“Uh, Vanille. A little help, please,” Sazh called.

“Oh, right, sorry.” Vanille hurried back toward them and moved in front of the werewolf. “It's okay, Caius, they helped me. We need to get them all out of here.” The werewolf gave her a disgruntled look, but nodded and turned away. Vanille beckoned to all of them, the darker werewolf a now constant shadow at her side. Its eyes searched their group and came to rest on Lightning.

It finally registered. The red-tinged fur and intelligent eyes. A vivid green, she noticed now. Its body seemed to have repaired itself significantly since then. But their staring didn't last much longer as the group began to move onward.

“There was an explosion that tore one of the walls down,” Vanille filled them in, able to communicate with the werewolves in ways no one else could. “They're not sure how it happened, but that's how they got in, and we can use it to get out once you're all armed.”

“Sounds like Leblanc's doing,” Paine said offhandedly. “There are more firebombs in the armory, but we need to be careful about who handles them.”

With Paine and the werewolves leading the way, they made it to the armory with little difficulty, although where Jihl and her elite guards were was a mystery that left Lightning constantly on edge.

Basch and Ashe took up familiar weapons while handing out more to the others. Lightning was searching in the the far corner when Sazh came over.

“She's probably not gonna keep a weapon like yours in a place like this,” he said, looking sympathetic.

“Where do you think she's keeping it, then?”

“No idea. But we need to leave while we still have the chance.”

Lightning sighed softly before nodding. She got Paine's attention and tossed her her sword. She managed to find her sabre, which was at least a small consolation. Her crossbow wasn't there, but she found a different one. It wasn't nearly as nice as her old weapon – the damn thing had cost her quite a few meals – but it would work fine for the time being. She picked up a small quiver of only five bolts and loaded the crossbow with one.

When she stepped outside the armory, the werewolf called Fang was watching her again. Still a little unnerved by the beasts, Lightning set her jaw and gave her a once over. “Look familiar?”

It snorted, nostrils flaring gently. Vanille, who stood at the werewolf's arm, raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You've met?” she asked, looking between them.

Lightning lowered her gaze. “Thanks for the deer,” she said as she walked away.

“ _She's here!_ ” A few of the humans that had gone to look ahead were sprinting back to them. A baton emerged suddenly through the chest of one, and a blonde head nestled into his neck before coming away with a chunk of flesh.

Jihl.

The other humans were leapt upon by four other vampires.

“We need to move. _Now!_ ” Basch ordered, ushering everyone away from the armory.

“Bombs away!” Sazh shouted, coming up beside Lightning and tossing a small spherical object that was lit on one end.

 _Wait_. Lightning didn't have time to say it; she could already see Jihl moving forward with her unnatural speed, reaching for the firebomb. Lightning raised her crossbow and fired. The bolt hit the bomb with a resounding _ping_ and ricocheted it into the wall.

The following explosion was deafening. The stone under Lightning's feet shifted, and the walls rumbled as they began to cave in. Heat engulfed her; smoke and fire filled hall. Someone was shouting for her to move, and she let them grab her by the arm and pull her along.

She ran, unsure where she was going, but only trying to keep track of the blur of feet in front of her.

And then there was light piercing through the hazy fog. She ran toward it, emerging out of the smoke and stone and submerging her boots into deep snow. She looked up at the brilliant morning sun.

Then she choked back a cry as burning heat lighted her skin, and she fell to her knees as every part of her being seemed to catch fire.

“Fang! Help her!” Vanille's shout seemed to come from so far away.

She was grabbed, but the hands were pulling her back toward the keep, and the voice at her ear made the burns almost chilling.

“You're going to _stay,_ ” Jihl hissed into her ear, pure fury and venom.

Lightning struggled against her, but the rays of the sun had weakened her, and now she could barely even see. She sensed Jihl bearing some of it, too, as she fought to drag her back in, steam billowing off of the vampire's charred hands.

A flash of a shadow and vicious jaws, teeth and saliva rushed past Lightning's head, snarling and snapping. Jihl released her and fumbled away into the safety of the keep's shadows.

The werewolf Fang stood over Lightning on all fours, a dark silhouette that completely blocked the sun. It hunched down, bringing its chest against Lightning's frame, and scooped her up from the snow with an arm. Lightning gathered what was left of her strength and clung to its fur as the werewolf galloped away on three limbs, Jihl's angry screaming following them for some time.

…

She was dropped on a hard surface. She tried to open her eyes, but somehow felt they should already be open. Soft fur tickled her nose.

“Lightning, can you hear me?” _Vanille_. “Lightning, it's okay. Your eyes are burned, and you need to drink some blood before its permanent. Fang's offering hers, it's okay.”

When the furry skin pressed to her lips she wanted to resist, but permanent blindness didn't sound any more fun. Without further thought, she opened her mouth around the skin and sank in her teeth. It was much tougher than human skin, as well as the muscle being thicker and more dense. The fur on her tongue was unpleasant as well. But the first gush of hot blood made her dizzy with something akin to ecstasy, and she felt a brief moment of actual, _pleasant_ warmth flowing through her body.

“Take as much as you need. Fang heals pretty quickly.”

Lightning blinked as her sight returned, but her vision was only filled with dark fur. She wanted to burrow further into it, seeking the warmth that had escaped her ever since she'd turned. Despite what Vanille had said, she was surprised when no one pulled her away after some time. She was able to collect herself on her own before retracting her teeth, albeit reluctantly.

When the werewolf pulled away, it and Vanille stared down at her. A little self-conscious and embarrassed, Lightning raised a hand to wipe at her mouth, pausing when the surface of her skin was rough. Pulling her hand away, she noticed a black scarring that was beginning to recede.

“Thanks,” she said, not knowing what else to do as the pair continued to watch her. Sitting up, she finished wiping at her mouth with the edge of her sleeve.

“Werewolf blood is more potent when you take it directly from the wolf form,” Vanille started to explain until she looked over her shoulder as voices echoed around them, sounding as though they were in a cave. “Oh, and the human you spoke with earlier wanted to see you before she left.” The werewolf and Vanille exchanged a look, and she added before leaving, “If you need us, we'll just be outside.”

Lightning nodded and stood. Turned out they _were_ in a cave. And she wasn't surprised to see that it was Ashe approaching her.

“How are you feeling?” Ashe asked gently, brow lowered with concern.

Lightning looked to the side.

“I suppose that was a stupid thing to ask.” Ashe breathed a short, humorless laugh. Her hand fidgeted awkwardly at her sword belt. Then she tilted her head, eyes intently observant. “Thank you for what you've done. You saved me, and all those people from a miserable life.”

“You would have made it out on your own, eventually.”

“Perhaps. Or Rasler would have come for me, once he knew. But you're the one who got us out.”

Lightning just nodded. “I'm glad you're safe.”

They looked at each other for a moment before Ashe took Lightning's head in her hands and leaned in, eyes closing as she brought their lips together. Lightning went still, though her own eyes followed suit at the familiar touch. The kiss was slow at first, and was probably meant to end there. But there was longing in it, and it only deepened until a fang pricked Ashe's lip. Lightning jerked away, the drop of blood leaving a sweet but bitter taste on her tongue.

“Sorry-”

Shaking her head, Ashe's arms wrapped tight around her, and she buried her face in Lightning's neck. “How could this happen to you?”

Lightning was tense and her lips thinned. “You should go.” she said stiffly. “You need to get away from here. And, your husband is going to be worried about you.” She couldn't get out of her head how much the kiss, the blood, had tasted like goodbye. She thought she'd only have to experience that once.

Ashe pulled away, bringing her hand up to gently cup Lightning's cheek. “You could have easily turned on us, Lightning. But you didn't. You're not the monster that they are.” Her eyes shined with sorrow, thumb stroking Lightning's face. “If you ever find yourself in Dalmasca, know you have a place to stay in my home. Your sister too, as always. No matter how late you might get there.”

Ashe grasped her arm for another few seconds, and then she turned away and was gone.

“Can't believe you looked straight at the sun.”

Lightning turned around. Paine was sitting on the floor to one side, quietly laughing at her. She had a few black scars of her own on her arms and parts of her exposed torso. Lightning rolled her eyes and sat on the floor near the other vampire. “It's not like I've been doing this for very long.”

Paine waved a hand. “Yeah, sorry. I'm just kidding. You've been stuck in the literal and figurative dark more than a lot of vampires are during their first days. Or at least the ones that survive this long. What do you plan on doing now?”

When Lightning was silent for too long, someone spoke for her.

“She's gonna go back to her sister. And tell her what happened.” Sazh stood in the middle of the cavern, hands on his hips.

Lightning glanced around him. “Where's Dajh?”

“Playing with some of the human wolves. They seem to have brought most of their pack along for this.” At Lightning's questioning look, he added, “There are a lot of packs out there I wouldn't trust within a mile of my son. But this is one of the good ones. And I needed to talk to you.”

Lightning huffed, dropping her head back against the rocky wall. The first words out of his mouth made her close her eyes tight.

“I know you. You're thinking you're dead anyways, what's the point? Am I right?”

“How can I show my face to her now, Sazh.” Lightning opened her eyes and stared at her hands. “I'm the kind of thing I'd warn her away from with stories.”

“You're not a monster. Serah won't think that. And what you've done up until now proves you aren't.” When Lightning didn't say any more, he continued, “Look, if you wanna go walkin' out into the sun, that's your business. But you've got plenty of time to make that choice. And your sister deserves to know.”

Lightning felt like a teenager being scolded by a parent. “How do I-”

“You got legs, don'tcha? Give her a chance, Light. She needs you, and she's gotta be hurting real bad since you haven't come home.” After a heavy silence, his boots scraped on the rocky floor as he turned around. “Most of the others have already left. We're gonna leave as soon as the sun drops. Jihl and her people will be out looking for us as soon as she can.”

Paine cleared her throat. “You can sleep during the day, you know.”

Lightning opened her eyes and rolled her head toward her. She decided she liked Paine. The vampire didn't ask her any personal questions.

“It helps conserve blood. And speeds up healing, which we're both gonna need after being touched by the sun. The downside is, you're completely vulnerable until the sun goes down. You'll wake just a soon as you're able to step outside without being hurt.”

“Tell me how.”  


	4. Home

Her boots thudded softly up the familiar dirt path, pausing at a rickety gate. She raised a hand to open it, but chose instead to bypass the latch and rest her palm on top of the short, wooden frame.

Their home was barely large enough for the two rooms it held, but it had brought them warmth and security, and it was better than sleeping on the hard, unsheltered streets back when their days as orphans began.

Something was wrong, though. It was only the early hours of the night, and yet there was no candle flickering in the window, or from the hearth. The absolute quiet and stillness was as unsettling as the chilled, ominous breeze that touched Lightning's cheeks, though no blood rose against it.

She breathed a quick exhale that shook with worry, a breath as cold as the wind and leaving her mouth without a trace of fog. Lightning vaulted over the gate, sprinted up the rest of the path, and jumped over the small steps to the door. The tiny wooden porch creaked loudly under her weight as she shoved the door open.

It was empty. The single bed they shared when Lightning was home was unmade, and Lightning's pillow was pulled down and rumpled as if it had been clung to one too many nights. The common room that acted double as a kitchen, while not nearly as messy as what would suggest a break-in, was still unkempt beyond Serah's standards. A small table and chair had been pulled over to face the window. A few wrinkled and soiled cloths were scattered around. On the table was some red yarn and an almost finished scarf.

_Lightning chuckled, glancing up from the cooking pot. “And what are you going to do with your first payment?” Serah had been so determined to find work. Lightning had rejected the idea a number of times until it was clear she was not able to keep their cupboards full on her own._

_Serah smiled, counting and organizing the pitiful few coins on the table. While Lightning still disliked the idea of her working at the local tavern, Lebreau had proven to be a fair and safe employer. And it was hard to stay mad when Serah looked so happy.“I'm going to buy you that red scarf you were always looking at in Eden when we were little.”_

Lightning picked up the scarf and ran her hand over it. Serah still didn't have near enough money for that scarf, and they'd never gotten around to making the trip anyway; Lightning had always been out looking for the next job herself. It had taken most of the gil Lightning had managed to save up just to get them out of Eden in the first place.

Setting the scarf down, she moved to the hearth in the center of the room and touched the coals. They were as cold as her hand.

She swallowed dryly, taking a few panicked glances about the room before the subtle hum of voices drifted in. She rushed to the window, spilling coals on the floor and bumping into the table in her haste. The yarn and scarf fell off, but she ignored it, scanning the outside terrain. Even with her vampire eyes, the speakers were far enough away that it took a moment to see exactly who they were. Without thinking, she snuck out the door and hurried around to the back of the house.

“Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay over?” She recognized the kind voice of Bodhum's guard captain, Amodar. “My wife and I would always welcome you, as long as you wish.”

“Thank you, Amodar.” _Serah_. Lightning sat down against the wall and curled her knees up to her chin. “I appreciate you walking me home from the tavern. And you and your family have been more than kind. But I want to be home for now.”

The porch creaked wearily beneath their steps. “Well, if that's what you want...”

A pause. “Sazh and Dajh haven't come back, have they? Do you think she's-

“I've got my guards out looking. The snow is still heavy in some areas, but you'll be the first to know when we find them.”

“But-”

“ _When_ we find them,” he said firmly.

Serah choked on a sob that was soon muffled, and Lightning imagined Amodar giving her a comforting hug. A few more words were exchanged, and then Amodar took his leave.

It was so quiet now, but Lightning could still map the movement of Serah's footsteps within the house. She closed her eyes, appreciating the sound. It reminded her of when she'd get home late at times, waking up just as late the next morning and pretending to be asleep while listening to her sister move about the kitchen.

She inhaled, thinking of the pleasant aroma of a morning meal.

Instead, it was the scent of blood that tickled her nose. She put a hand over her nose and mouth, but her fangs only pressed more insistently against her lip. She clenched her eyes tight, and the vision that emerged was not of a warm, hot breakfast, but of Serah's blood on her hands, on her lips, trickling to the floor as teeth ripped into her throat-

Lightning shoved herself from the wall and tore off across the field.

She wasn't able to see her sister pause at the scattered coals. At the fallen scarf and yarn.

…

The trees blurred past as she continued farther and farther. There was no burn in her lungs, no ache in her legs. She could go as fast and as far as she wanted; until the sky lit with color and cleansed her with fire.

Another blur flitted at the edge of her sight, separate from the trees and very much alive. Lightning dug in her heels, sliding through dirt and leaves to a halt. With no breath to catch or hide the sound of, she rested a hand on her sword hilt, paused, and listened.

Behind her.

She spun, drawing the sabre and facing... a tree.

“You know, we really need to stop meeting like this. Just you and me, out in the middle of the woods.” Behind her again. The dirt stirred at her boots as she turned.

A tall woman was leaning with her shoulder against a tree, arms crossed. A dark, fur mantle rested atop her shoulders and draped down over her upper torso. Beneath it, she wore a simple brown leather tunic that was laced along the sides, tight enough to hold to her form, but loose enough to expose some of her skin. Baggy trousers were held up by a belt with a small dagger tucked into it. Leather guards strapped to her forearms, emphasizing the considerable muscle of her biceps.

She had dark bronze skin, and her hair was a wild mess that fell past her shoulders, a few beaded and braided strands dangling on one side of her face. A bracelet of beads wrapped around one wrist, and the strings of a necklace were visible just above the mantle.

Lifting a curved brow, she said, “Don't recognize me? I'm hurt.” She gave a mock grimace, placing a hand over her chest as she pushed away from the tree. She took several confident steps toward Lightning, fully ignoring the blade between them.

Closer now, Lightning could seen the green of her eyes, and the reddened tips of her hair. The wild, fearless air about her was beyond human.

“You're...” Lightning's eyes dashed up and down the woman's frame, “shorter than I remember.” The woman chuckled, but Lightning's lips thinned even as the woman's almost feral smile stretched. “I thought you took Vanille back.”

“I did. She wanted to come with me here, but she's hurting more than she'll let on, so I made her stay and rest.” Fang stepped away, giving Lightning space, and leaned her back against the tree, arms crossed again. “I swear it's taken me a whole century to figure out when she's bluffing.”

 _Century?_ After a short pause in order to look Fang over again, Lightning only shifted a little in her stance, keeping the sabre out. “So what _are_ you doing here?”

Fang tilted her head. “Isn't it obvious? I was looking for you.” Her smile dimmed. “Thought maybe, uh. You could use some help, you know?”

Lightning frowned, shaking her head slightly. “And why would you want to help me?”

“Don't get me wrong, I'm not particularly fond of vampires. But you weren't exactly looking for blood when I first saw you. You got caught in a bad spot while Jihl was looking for me, and she'd already gotten Vanille not long before that,” Fang sighed, “I couldn't have stopped what she did to you, but... well... you helped Vanille get out of that rotten place, so let's just say I feel I owe you a few favors.”

Lightning's hands tightened, tension rising along her arms and shoulders. She turned on her heel and marched away. “There's no need.”

She heard footsteps following right behind her. “You look like you're in a pretty big hurry. I believe town is the other way.”

“It's not your concern.”

“Actually, I _am_ a bit concerned.”

Irritation spiking, Lightning turned and lashed out with the back of her hand, but Fang caught her wrist easily. Growling low, Lightning tried to tug her arm back, but the werewolf held firm. “Why don't you do me a favor and _leave_?” she bit out.

Fang's eyes were steady and neutral on hers. “Vanille said you had a sister. Have you seen her, yet?”

Lightning hissed, adjusting and striking out with her foot. Fang blocked inside it with her shin, shoving to set her off balance. She stumbled just as Fang caught her other wrist, twisting the sword out of her hand, and used her body to forcefully shove Lightning back against a tree.

Lightning snarled, her sight clouding with the slightest touch of red. She pushed back against her, but Fang's hold was impossibly strong, and she hardly budged.

“You're not thinking straight. I can tell just by smelling you that you haven't had anyone's blood but mine,” Fang said, speaking as though it took her no effort to hold Lightning down. “What's it been now, at least a week? My blood is strong, but going for too long without more is gonna make you pretty irrational. Makes you do stupid things like tear someone's head off, or run out in the sun.”

“ _What's it to you?_ ” With her tireless muscles, Lightning kept struggling.

Fang's eyes hardened. “Do you think she'd want you to do what you're doing? Hm?”

Lightning snapped her teeth at Fang's face, making the woman jerk back. A brief thought of sinking her fangs in the woman's throat emerged, and Lightning used the extra space to shove from the tree and push Fang back. It felt like she'd used all of her strength, but it only caused Fang to take a few steps away. Lightning made herself fall back against the tree, trying to shut out the image. Fang didn't grab her again.

 _What am I supposed to do?_ Lightning wanted to ask. She'd thought about hurting her own sister...

“You're trying to protect her, _I know_. But this isn't the way to do it.” Even though Fang wasn't touching her, Lightning still felt pinned. “What would you do if your positions were reversed? Would you turn her away?”

Lightning clenched her teeth and looked up at her. “I spent my whole life keeping monsters away from her, and now I'm one of them. I can't just- ”

“Monster?” Fang interrupted with a biting laugh. “Surely you're not that naïve.” Lightning glared, but it didn't seem to phase her. Fang shrugged, lightening her tone. “We're _all_ monsters, including humans. It's just easier to see the fangs on us.”

Lightning didn't answer, keeping her face turned. She tensed as Fang's hands reached toward her, but they only settled firmly on her shoulders. “Let's get you some blood.” The friendly tone and strong grip was... grounding. “You can drink from an animal well enough, for now. It's weaker, and not really as filling as human blood will be. I'd offer mine, but... to be honest, I'm not really a fan. And you need to learn to do this on your own.”

Lips pursed, Lightning said, “I'm not a child.” _Animals... she could do that._

Fang chuckled. “But you are a child. A newborn who just got their fangs in and doesn't wanna eat their greens.”

Grinding her teeth, Lightning huffed and shoved off the werewolf's hands. Then she rolled her eyes. “I think it's reds now.”

…

Fang led her straight to a rabbit, but left the catching up to her. She picked it up by its ears, staring at the frightened thing with distaste and hunger all at once.

“You can still use the meat later.” Lightning glanced sideways at Fang. “For your sister.”

She broke its neck first, saving it from suffering further. While her teeth hovered, she thought of the other times she'd seen vampires drink. How the blood would pool and dribble around their mouths, coating their lips.

She sank her teeth in carefully, holding the rabbit so none of the blood would spill. It was mostly tasteless, like drinking water. When she lifted her head, licking away the few traces of blood, Fang was giving her an odd look, but she offered no comment.

Lightning felt calmer now, less like there was an itch she couldn't scratch. Her mind was also more focused, and concentration didn't take so much effort.

“How did you find me?” she asked as she lowered the rabbit from her lips. “Did Noel tell you?” The brown werewolf that had escorted them all the way to Bodhum was kind and soft-spoken as a man, calm and even-tempered as a wolf. Lightning had gotten along fine with him, although she could sense his discomfort about being around someone like her.

“Nah, I passed him on the way here, but he was in a hurry to be home.” Fang smiled, appearing pleased about something. “Here, sit. We've still got plenty of time before the sun.”

Grateful for the extra time before having to go back to Serah, Lightning sat and propped herself against a tree next to the cross-legged werewolf. She set the rabbit on the ground beside her.

“See, werewolves are sensitive to blood, particularly our own,” Fang started, warming up quickly to the subject. Lightning watched her gesturing hands. “You should be wary about drinking blood from a werewolf you don't trust. It's got much stronger restorative properties than normal humans, but... well, you ever seen a dog that's caught the scent of something? It's very easy for us to track a vampire that's carrying our blood. It wears off eventually, of course. But since you haven't mixed mine with anything else, you might as well have been a glowing torch out here in the dark.

Another thing about drinking werewolf blood, is it allows us to sense what the vampire is feeling, almost to the extent of mind-reading, in some cases.” Fang looked down for a moment, and back up. “I could feel what you were feeling back in the cave. Vanille had a sense of it, too.” Fang paused, giving Lightning time to say something if she wanted.

“How do you know all this?”

A side of Fang's mouth tipped up. “Let's just say I've been around for awhile.”

 _She's at least over a hundred_ , Lightning thought, not quite sure how to wrap her head around that. By appearances, she looked to be the same age as herself.

“You'll find that blood will taste, and even feel, different from different sources. Obviously, animals aren't going to taste as good. And humans can taste differently depending on what they're feeling at the time. That's why some vampires like to scare'em first. Gives the blood a little more... zing, I guess.

Lightning nodded. “That's what Paine told me.” Lightning recalled the older vampire trying to get her to drink, even offering to share when she'd found some herself. But she never did more than shrug when Lightning turned away.

“Oh? Is she still around?” Fang's expression changed a bit to wariness. Lightning could understand. Even though Paine had helped them, she used to be one of Jihl's people.

“She's staying at Sazh's place for now. She's talked about moving on soon, though.”

“Hm. The fire spirit. I wasn't aware this area had one.”

Lightning shrugged. “I've known him since Serah and I moved here. He paid me to protect him and his son when they made trips to Nautilus. I've never seen him use fire like that.”

Fang nodded, thoughtfully picking at some sticks. “I'll have to go see him, sometime.”

Lightning watched her for a moment. “You must have traveled as a wolf to get here so quickly. Did you... carry your own clothes, or...?” Noel had only changed after he'd “borrowed” some clothing off a line, saying he'd give it back when he returned.

“It's good to see you're thinking with some clarity, now.” Fang smiled. “I've got some friends in the area. I'll introduce you sometime, so you both know not to tear at each other. They're a young pack, but their leader is a good enough sort. And it's not uncommon for a pack to keep extra clothing around. Seeing naked people wandering about looking for clothes all the time can be just as frightening to the locals,” Fang said with a chuckle. After a moment's hesitation, she added, “I visit often enough, so I've left some of my own there.”

Lightning nodded. They fell silent, and she was hesitant to break it.

Fang did so for her. “So. Are you ready, or do we need to find you another meal? There's a doe with a couple of little ones just a mile north.”

Lightning shook her head. She at least felt stable for the time being. “Will you come with me?” she asked as they stood. If Fang was with her, she'd surely stop her if...

Fang's eyes shifted with surprise. But it was gone just as quickly, filled with understanding. “Sure. I wouldn't mind meeting this sister of yours.”

…

Candlelight flickered in the window, and the door was open. Serah sat out on the steps, the red scarf clutched in front of her. She shot up as soon as Lightning stepped through the gate, Fang just behind her, and started sprinting down the path.

Thinking to shove her away, Lightning's arms disobeyed as her sister ran headlong into her front, and wrapped around her instead. She tipped her head down automatically to Serah's hair as the younger one buried her face in her neck.

“You're home,” Serah breathed.

“Serah, I-”

Serah shook her head, burrowing more into Lightning's neck and shoulder, holding tighter still. “You're home.”

Lightning's eyes squeezed shut, clutching Serah hard against her.


End file.
